27 August 2015

0011 | Photo | 7. SS-Freiwilligen-Gebirgs-Division "Prinz Eugen"



An Italian, captured in late 1943 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, spreads his hands before an officer of the SS Division "Prinz Eugen", trying to look as innocent as possible before the former ally, now an enemy (after the capitulation of their country, a couple of months earlier, many Italian soldiers escaped into the woods and joined the Partisans, instead of surrendering to the Germans). The relations between the Italians and the SS division were far from idyllic even when they were allies; even then, due to conflict of interest, there were skirmishes and even armed threats, and after the capitulation – there were real battles and executions. On the (low) morale and (weak) fighting spirit of the Italian soldier, as one of the illustrations, SS men wrote the following anecdote: "At Gornje Kruševo, the surrendering Italians rushed to meet a patrol, crying 'Long live the Duce, long live Hitler!' When it turned out that the patrol leader and his men were members of the gangs, the Italians cried 'Mussolini' while mimicking a decapitation or hanging."

Text: Ivan Ž.

Photographer: Hugo Kemps, SS Regiment "Kurt Eggers".
Date: December 1943.
Location: unknown, Yugoslavia.
Original caption: unknown.

File source: National Archives, 242-JRP-41-50-38.

NOT ALLOWED: removing source credits from the files – using text without crediting the original author – using files and information for political propaganda and commercial purposes.



Jedan Italijan, zarobljen krajem 1943. godine u Bosni i Hercegovini, širi ruke pred oficirom SS-divizije "Princ Ojgen", trudeći se da deluje što nedužnije pred bivšim saveznikom, sada neprijateljem (nakon kapitulacije svoje zemlje, par meseci ranije, mnogi italijanski vojnici su se odmetnuli u šume i pridružili partizanima, umesto da se predaju Nemcima). Odnosi između Italijana i SS-divizije nisu bili bajni ni za vreme njihovog savezništva; još tada je, zbog sukoba interesa, dolazilo do čarki, pa i oružanih pretnji, a po kapitulaciji – i do pravih borbi i egzekucija. O (niskom) moralu i (slabom) borbenom duhu italijanskog vojnika, esesovci su kao jednu od ilustracija zapisali i sledeću anegdotu: "Kod Gornjeg Kruševa, zarobljeni Italijani su pohitali u susret jednoj patroli uz povike 'Živeo duče, živeo Hitler!' Kada se ispostavilo da su vođa patrole i njegovi ljudi pripadnici bandi, Italijani su vikali 'Musolini' i pritom mimikom pravili aluzije na skidanje glave ili vešanje."

Tekst: Ivan Ž.

Fotograf: Hugo Kemps, SS-puk "Kurt Egers".
Datum: decembar 1943.
Mesto: nepoznato, Jugoslavija.
Originalni natpis: nepoznat.

Izvor fajla: National Archives, 242-JRP-41-50-38.

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